Lucidity
by nightmarishfantasies
Summary: Smuggled away from a kingdom where Umbrums are a feared and hated species, Grenadine Grey is raised without her birth mother in a new town with a kind Unicorn as a guardian. As she grows up she meets challenges such as snobby princesses, a cursed cutie mark, and stupid homework. Follow an up-and-coming mare who just wants to escape her stupid fate. [ Posted on Wattpad and Quotev]
1. Chapter 1

An Umbrum mare ran swiftly throughout the Crystal Empire, trying her best to reach the train station before it was too late. She carried a small foal in her magic, barely able to be seen in the bundle of blankets she was swaddled in. Neither knew how much trouble they would get in if they were caught by the guards currently pursuing them, but no one wanted to find out.

The train stop was only a few more paces away. If her feet could keep running they would make it. If the train made it before the guards did they would be safe. The Empire would be left behind and they could start a new life, unaffected by their tainted past.

The guards were saying something behind them, but she wasn't listening. All she could focus on was the soft breathing of her child and the future for them both. They were nearly there, anyways. The only way this plan could be thwarted would be from pure chance, but she had accounted for the chance. The foal murmured and turned over in the magic it was held in.

"Just a little further, sweetheart. Hold on just a little bit longer-" The mare tripped over a rock in the middle of her attempt to comfort her child. There was no way this was happening. This was their only way of escape. If only- yes! The train had approached the stop, slowly letting the ponies on board off of the vehicle. This was perfect. _This _was what they needed.

The guards were quickly approaching, but the train had approached faster. As the ponies grabbed hold of the Umbrum, she quickly ushered the foal into the train car with her magic, a goodbye falling from her lips as the doors closed and she was finally apprehended.

As the foal rested in her bundle of blankets, she couldn't quite comprehend what had happened, but she knew it wasn't good. What _was _good was the Unicorn who had boarded soon after the foal was placed on the train. She was walking to her train car when she noticed the small Umbrum.

"Oh... sweetheart what happened? Why are you..." The Unicorn thought back to what she had witnessed while boarding: a (what she thought was a Crystal Pony) mare being suddenly surrounded while levitating the foal into the train. "Come here, honey," The Unicorn took the foal in her magic, studying her closely.

As any pony would have thought, she looked like any other child fur and mane-wise: a peach coat and dark red, straight hair and tail. Her eyes had (strangely) already opened (how old was this foal?). They were bright green. What was strange about her appearance was her horn. It was the same colour as her coat except for the red gradient that faded from the tip to base. Not only that, but the horn was curved. The Unicorn gasped slightly as she realized that this was an _Umbrum _foal.

Thankfully there were no other passengers on board where they could have seen the Empire escapee. "Don't worry, hon. I'll take you with me to Ponyville. You'll be safe there," The mare held the foal for the rest of the ride to Ponyville, wondering how she'll raise a child without any experience in motherhood. Well, she thought, at least this little girl will be accepted. With the Princesses and such it shouldn't seem much different than any other family existing.

The two fell asleep in the seat, a new life not far away.


	2. Chapter 2

"Grenadine! Grenadine come here!" Goldie called to her daughter. The yellow Unicorn was currently cooking pancakes, readying herself to let her only child go to school for the first time in five years. Grenadine had grown up in a small cottage in a small town in a wonderful kingdom.

"Coming!" The peach Umbrum trotted out of her bedroom down the hall and towards the kitchen. "Mm! Are you making pancakes mama?" Her green eyes were wide in excitement since pancakes were her absolute favourite breakfast food.

Goldie chuckled as she set a plate in front a seat at the table Grenadine quickly sat down at. "Of course, sweetheart. It's your first day of school! What else would I make for you?" The two sat in comfortable silence as the smaller of the two ate her pancakes quickly, attempting to say something in the middle of her breakfast.

"Imrf grna bre arfon!" After seeing a confused look on her mother's face, Grenadine corrected what she was trying to say. "Sorry. It's gonna be awesome!" She grabbed her plate and took it to the sink, grabbing her backpack from off the chair she had been sitting in (already packed from last night. No way was Grenadine Grim gonna be late for school.) "Let's go! Let's go!" She was jumping up and down by the door, her dark red mane bouncing slightly as she did so.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming, calm down!" Goldie grabbed Grenadine's lunch bag and opened the door, letting both of them out of the house. They began walking down the dirt road, the school not too far away. They passed a few other families with their children along the way, none seeming to be as excited as the peach Umbrum in front of Golden Rays.

"Do you think I'll be able to make friends, mama?" Grenadine asked, never ceasing her pace.

"Of course, darling. Who wouldn't want to be your friend?" Goldie sure sounded confident, but inside she was worried there would be someone who might just put Grenadine down. I mean, Goldie thought, she's not even my daughter. She could find out that her real mother might still be out there!

It was true, they weren't related in the slightest, but ponies often assumed they were, their colouring similar and all. Goldie was a yellow Unicorn with a fluffy red mane that covered her horn, a darker yellow on the tips of her hooves and a dark peach on her muzzle and ears. Grenadine was similar in the aspect of her peach coat, dark red mane, Unicorn horn... Most would assume this was a mother and daughter whom the father had simply left.

"We're here!" Grenadine snapped the yellow unicorn out of her trance. "Ooh, I can't wait!" The Umbrum turned towards Goldie and hugged her. "By mama! Love you!"

"Love you, too, honey," Goldie smiled at her daughter as she walked in the front door of her school, many other children following behind.

Grenadine was ecstatic! It was her first day of school and she couldn't wait to make new friends. Looking around, it seemed like most of the children were heading into a classroom on the right, so that's where she went. Inside were desks with nametags on them, one of them read _GRENADINE GRIM. _Perfect, she walked into the right classroom.

"Did you see the moon last night, Sunbeam? I raised it all by myself."

Raised the moon? Isn't that was princesses did, though? Grenadine turned to her left and saw two desks next to each other. The nametags reading _SUNBEAM SPIRIT_ and _SOMBRE FLAME, _however, Grenadine could only read the last word in the second name so she didn't know exactly who the person talking was.

"That's great, Sombre." So _that's _how you said it. "I got to raise the sun this morning. Mom says I'm almost as good as the legend Celestia herself."

"Celestia?" Grenadine muttered to herself as she sat down. These two must be very important. Maybe they're the princesses, she thought. Mama did mention they were my age.

"All right, class! Settle down, we're going to do roll, but with a little spin on it. I'll call your name and you'll say a fun fact about yourself!" The teacher was a brown Earth Pony with a pink mane cut short in a bob. her eyes were green and her cutie mark was ABC in colourful letters. "I'll go first. I'm Miss Amaretto, and I like to dance. Now," Miss Amaretto began calling out the names of students. They responded with a "here" or a "that's me!" followed by a generic fun fact about themselves.

"Grenadine Grim!" Miss Amaretto called out. The Umbrum was ready for this moment.

"Here!" The class turned towards her, ready to hear the groundbreaking fun fact that would be the first impression Grenadine would have to build off of. "I like to read magic spells in my spare time!" There it was. Perfect. People would think she was smart since she reads spells even when she doesn't have to.

"Wonderful! Now..."

Grenadine proudly held her head up, happy her fun fact got such a response. The teacher kept calling out names, reaching the two girls who were talking about Celestia earlier.

"Sombre Flame?" The class turned expectantly to the two desks with the girls sitting in them. The one on the right, a grey Unicorn with a blue mane that had a darker blue within spoke up, adjusting her light blue tiara as she did so.

"I enjoy singing in the palace," Sombre announced. She _is _a princess! Grenadine looked at her hooves, glad she now knew who they were. If Sombre is a princess then Sunbeam has to be a princess, too!

Sunbeam's name was called next. She was a white Unicorn with a mane similar to a sunny rainbow: red, orange, yellow in the centre, orange and red again. Sunbeam also had light blue eyes and pale yellow slippers on her hooves. "I like to draw on the palace balcony," She declared.

"That's wonderful, Sunbeam! Now, I'm passing out a blank sheet of paper. You see there are currently name tags in front of you, but those are simply placeholders. You can write your name on _these _and decorate them however you want!" Miss Amaretto continued to pass out the papers, the students beginning to interact.

"Hey, wait, Sombre?" Sunbeam turned to the grey Unicorn next to her, gesturing to the Umbrum in front of the two of them. "Isn't she an Umbrum, or whatever it's called?" Both princesses were now looking at Grenadine, making the filly uncomfortable.

"Like the legend of Sombra?" Sombre and Sunbeam were now talking simply to get her attention and annoy her, at this point, not to simply make conversation. "She must be related! I haven't seen an Umbrum in forever, mom says they were _extremely powerful_.

Grenadine wasn't sure how to comment. She simply looked at the two and asked, "What's an Umbrum?"


	3. Chapter 3

Sombre scoffed, tossing her mane behind her shoulder before answering the absurd question that had just crossed her path. "What's an _Umbrum_? Have you not looked in a mirror?" Grenadine tilted her head in confusion.

"The mirror? But I'm a Unicorn, like you guys. I just have a different horn," Grenadine looked at the Unicorns in front of her. Both Sunbeam and Sombre had a mix of confused and disgusted on their faces.

"Your horn is different because you're not a Unicorn, idiot. _I'm _a Unicorn. _She's_," Sombre gestured to Sunbeam, who smirked. "A Unicorn. _You _are not. You're an Umbrum."

Grenadine was confused. For five years of her life, she'd believed she was simply a Unicorn with a different horn. No one told her she was a completely different race of pony. Aggressively grabbing a marker, the peach _Umbrum _began to write her name on the paper she had been given.

"Well, class, it seems like our time together is done for the day," Miss Amaretto announced as the bell rang. "I will collect your name tags as you exit out the door."

Grenadine grabbed her finalized name tag, shrugging her backpack on her back, and walked over to the door. Her name tag was designed with her name in red bubble letters, glitter glue added to the edges of the letters.

After giving the masterpiece to her teacher, Grenadine quickly exited the building, looking around to find her mother.

"Grenadine! Over here, hon!" Goldie was waving over by a gate near the entrance. The peach Umbrum quickly ran over in order to ask the question that had been on her mind for almost the entire end of the day.

"Mom?" Grenadine began, shuffling her hooves. "Am I, uh, an Umbrum?" Goldie was taken aback as the young filly looked up expectantly.

Unsure what to do, Goldie simply told her the truth. "Um, yes... but how about we talk about that at home, sweetie?" The mare wasn't quite ready for this question so early. In reality, Goldie was either going to tell Grenadine when she was thirteen, or never at all if she sensed it would upset the child.

"Okay!" Grenadine happily skipped ahead of her guardian, heading home. _I wonder what Sombre means, _ she thought. No way she wasn't a regular Unicorn, right? Right. Grenadine kept skipping on the road, seeing her house down the road.

Goldie sighed, trailing behind her daughter. How was she supposed to tell her that she was a race of ponies that many assumed were extinct? That her appearance is what most likely got her mother killed? How was this poor mare supposed to tell this innocent child that she's no longer allowed in her own place of birth unless she has a spell to hide her horn? The yellow mare looked at her hooves, and continued forward.

Unaware of anything happening behind her, Grenadine finally reached her front door, opening it and entering, waiting for her mother in the door frame. _Wonder what I'll do about Sombre and Sunbeam tomorrow... hopefully they don't talk about the Umbrum thing again. _Too much was already on her pate and it was only the first day. The only thing Grenadine wanted on her plate was food. Grenadine began to think about dinner.

Goldie entered the house, watching as her daughter unpacked her things and began to show off her new name tag.

Day two was easy. So was day three, four... the whole month wet by in a flash. Sombre and Sunbeam kept up the pattern of teasing Grenadine about her horn without ever coming clean about what they were referring to.

But one day Miss Amaretto started to talk about the history of Equestria, and how "today we're going to discuss where we're from."

"Now, I'd like to go around the classroom and have each of us say where we were born. If you don't know then we can work together as a class to try and figure it out. That sound alright?" There was a collective sound of agreement from the kids.

"Miss!" Sombre called out, her blue mane bouncing with her raised hoof. "I'd like go first."

"That's perfectly well. Let's form a circle, and go clockwise. Sombre will then start us off." The brown mare moved from the front of the room, helping to organize the circle of children. Once they were all ready, Sombre spoke out.

"I was born in the royal palace, in Canterlot. My mother decided to move us here because she wanted me to have a less... spoiled life," The grey pony rolled her eyes at the last point, as if it was completely unheard of. A few ponies chuckled.

Sunbeam went next. "I was also born in Canterlot, but not in the royal palace. My father moved us here before I moved into the palace," the white filly twirled her yellow and orange braids.

The next pony was born in Ponyville. The next in Fillydelphia, another two in Ponyville, one from Manhattan and another from Baltimare. There were ponies from all over Equestria in this classroom, it seemed.

It took several more minutes before it got to Grenadine, who had conveniently placed herself at the end of the circle. After twirling her hooves on the ground for a minute, Grenadine finally spoke. "Um," she began. "I don't really know where I was born. My mom says it doesn't matter."

Sombre and Sunbeam snickered, "Well you must be from the Crystal Empire," Sombre declared. "Your horn matches the late King Sombra, the most powerful Umbrum! He had your horn, and he was born in the Crystal Empire!"

Miss Amaretto wasn't sure what to say. It was true, most (if not all) Umbrums come from the Crystal Empire. However, these children didn't know why there were so few in the actual location of origin. If Grenadine made it here, that would mean it was likely her mother wasn't her mother. That, or her horn was a birth defect (which was highly unlikely). Standing up in front of the class, stopping Sombre in her speech of deduction to prove why Grenadine wasn't from Ponyville, Miss Amaretto began to speak.

"Yes, Sombre, it is probable that Grenadine is from the Crystal Empire. But you need to know that Sombra isn't known there like he is here. King Sombra was someone who ruled his people without any feeling of kindness. He was mean to his people, and it took years for all of them to recover. Princess Cadence nearly died trying to save her kingdom and her child. While the king is known as a very powerful pony in many locations, the Crystal Empire isn't one of them. There, Umbrums are seen as horrid, terrible creatures that must be disposed of. You need to be careful when you suddenly assume things, kids. Grenadine might be sensitive to the subject."

The class was in awe of this new information. Was everything they'd been told a lie? Were the legends about a great and powerful king untrue? Of course not. It just wasn't completely correct.

As all the students took in the facts, they stared at Grenadine, not sure what else to do. This was someone who came from a place where she was hated, no. Where her _people _were hated. Just _her _people. _Her_.

It seemed Goldie's decision not to tell the peach-coloured filly the truth about Umbrums wouldn't make much of a difference in the long run.


	4. Chapter 4

When Grenadine grew older, she would continue to learn the history of King Sombra from both sides of the fight. She learned that Sombre was named after him because her parents believed he was a very strong Unicorn. Grenadine learned that her parents were likely killed for giving birth to her. Grenadine learned that she was adopted.

"Mom," Grenadine called from down the hall in her room. "We've been learning about Umbrums in class recently, and Mister Prints says that it's unlikely for an Umbrum to be birthed to a regular Unicorn."

Grenadine was ten, now. She had learned how to deal with the strange looks she got from her peers when she came up in conversation. Her horn was something she tried her best to hold high when she couldn't hide it. She had studied more magic in her free time since no one wanted to really interact with her. Lately, she had been reading up on some of the more hidden spells.

Golden Rays was in shock. Never did she think she would have to tell her daughter about where she came from so early in life. "Well," Goldie started, unsure what all to say. "It's true. I didn't actually... um. _Birth _you. But I have raised you since you were just a baby."

Grenadine looked up at her not-actually-mother with wide eyes. "Then... where is my real mother?"

Goldie closed and opened her eyes again, sighing. "Come here," She gestured with her hoof to the seat next to her on the couch. "I'm going to tell you the story of how I found you."

* * *

It had been a normal day for Golden Rays: pick up the fruit from the vendor, say bye to her neighbors and head back to Ponyville for the rest of the year. Manehattan was nice, but it was simply too cold when it wasn't Summer.

"One train ticket to Ponyville, please!" The yellow Unicorn said. The ticket pony handed her the yellow paper, and she was on her way to the train station.

It had been quite an uneventful break, Goldie thought. No drama between any of the neighbors, no issues with the weather ponies this year (there was always an issue with the weather ponies). The red-maned Unicorn was happy to return to her tiny little cottage in a tiny little town right outside the Royal Palace borders.

_Choo choo!_ The whistle on the train let out a screech and came to a halt on the tracks, opening the doors for ponies to get on and off. Goldie picked up her things and walked into the train car.

The ride home was quite pleasant; Goldie got to see all the different lands on the way, one being the Crystal Empire train stop. It was a bit out of the way, but she preferred the scenic route to quick anytime. This was different, though. The Crystal Empire train stop was right up ahead, and there was a strange-looking Unicorn holding something in her magic, racing to the doors. Behind her were two guards, determined to catch the Unicorn.

_What could she have possibly done? _Goldie said nothing aloud and tried to mind her own business. No one entered or left the car, but the doors did open and close. A few minutes passed and Goldie went to see what went down at the stop, or if anyone had seen what the fuss was about with the strange Unicorn being chased by the soldiers.

"Goodness!" The yellow Unicorn was just about to reach the door to the next train car when she saw it: a baby Unicorn bundled in a fluffy blanket. No mother or father to be seen. "Oh, no..." She noticed the curved horn. The mother was running from the guards so she could save the child.

Out of the good of her heart, the pony sat down next to the baby, put her in her lap, and napped until they arrived at Ponyville, somewhere the Umbrum would be safe.

* * *

"So..." Grenadine looked at the ground, her vision foggy. "My mom got rid of me?" She looked up at the older Unicorn, who quickly shook her head.

"No! No, goodness, no, of course not! She simply couldn't keep you or else you would have gotten very hurt. She just... couldn't also make it to the train in time." The two sat in silence for a minute before Goldie broke the silence. "It seems to be getting a bit late. How about I cook us a quick meal and then we play a board game, huh? Does that sound good, sweetheart?" The yellow Unicorn got off the couch and went towards the kitchen.

"Yeah!" Grenadine faked a happy tone. "Sounds good," While her guardian began to get the dishes and ingredients out of the pantry, the peach filly went into her room and composed herself. Her mom didn't abandon her, she just couldn't keep her. It was better for both of them.

After taking a few deep breaths, the dark-haired filly reached under her bed and pulled out a book of spells she had gotten from the library.

Because no one wanted to talk to the filly in her classes, Grenadine thought it would be fitting if she found a hobby to fill the empty hours of her days. The library that used to belong to one of the legendary princesses had been opened to all, and recently Grenadine had been finding it quite entertaining to check out all sorts of magic books. The most recent one she had acquired was one about old Unicorns and ancient spells that were used to better the lives of those who were in need of assistance. On page eighteen was a spell about teleporting objects, and the peach filly was determined to learn it next. She already knew how to lift objects, why not make moving them easier?

"Dinner!" Goldie called. Man, had it been that long already?

"Coming!" The girl called back. The scent of spaghetti drifted through the air, luring Grenadine to her seat. She sat down and started making her plate. There was a stack of games in the living room, food on the table, and a few hours before the young girl needed to get ready for bed. Morning would be boring but tonight was time to relax. Grenadine knew where she came from, knew why she was here, and finally could dispute all of the snide remarks that the princesses made at school.

Tomorrow can wait. I have board games to play, Grenadine thought, as she began to dive into her meal.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been a few weeks since fifth grade started, and Grenadine was getting tired of being the odd one out. Luckily there hadn't been any history lessons about the Crystal Ponies or Umbrums or Sombra.

Filling her time with regular spells had gotten boring. Grenadine could lift things, teleport items, she could read faster now that she learned an "understanding" spell, all the things that made life easier. She had excelled a little fast and was trying to backtrack. No way was she skipping a grade. What she needed was _excitement_. So Grenadine went to the library, researched where to find the forbidden spells, and got to work.

Now, checking the books out took a little trial and error. Grenadine couldn't just ask the library pony to hand over a forbidden spell book, no. She had to give off the impression she had an assignment that required research. Then she had to play the cute card. Then she had to trick her way into checking the book out of the library, and not just using it under the supervision of the mare who insisted she wasn't letting the filly out of her sight, and _no, you can NOT cast any of those spells. _It took about a week or so, but the peach pony had finally managed to get a spellbook of dark magic into her home.

Grenadine had been studying the spells in the book for a while. There were spells about controlling someone, shape-shifting (that was probably impossible. Only Changelings are allowed to shapeshift), and even crystal summoning. That seemed a little cliche, but it also seemed pretty interesting.

Over one weekend, when Goldie was out getting errands done, Grenadine decided to start on the crystal magic. She focused all her energy on the words in the spellbook, imagined where she wanted to put the crystals, and then shot the spell. Nothing happened. Well, something happened: a tiny little quartz crystal sputtered to life and then dropped onto the carpeted floor. The filly decided to leave the magic on hold.

* * *

"Welcome, class. You've been on a little break but today I thought we would go over the syllabus once again and then start our lesson of the day…" The Pegasus teacher began to ramble on about assignments and projects, introducing the daily tasks to the students. Grenadine wasn't listening. She was staring at her desk, trying to recite the spells in her head, hoping something might happen.

Alas, nothing ever occurred that had to do with any magic or crystals. The only thing that happened was the filly getting scolded for daydreaming during class time.

It had been about thirty minutes when the bell for recess rang. The teacher stopped talking and dismissed the students. It was a quick and easy day today, something the children all appreciated.

Sombre hadn't bugged Grenadine in a while. Nor had Sunbeam. But apparently there was no end to their ongoing teasing of the Umbrum.

"Oh, Sunbeam, isn't it sad that someone hasn't earned their Cutie Mark yet?" The grey Unicorn proclaimed loudly, grabbing the attention of some of the other students.

"I'm not sure, Sombre. I mean, there are other ponies who don't have their Mark yet," Sunbeam looked around to make a point. "Oh, wait. There's really not."

Grenadine began to get angry. She had endured years of teasing. How could these be the next princesses of the day and night if they couldn't even be kind to one filly?

"I'll get my mark. It'll be something much better than the sun or blue fire. You'll be sorry for teasing me when I do," Grenadine threatened. She had been sitting on a bench, reading one of the regular magic books she brought to school when the argument began.

"Oh, is that so?" Sunbeam approached the Umbrum with a smirk on her face. "How could it be that you're so sure your Cutie Mark will be so amazing?" She stopped a few paces away from the bench that Grenadine was sitting on.

Grenadine stood up. "Because. I've been studying. I know what my talent is." There was no doubt in her voice. This was not a suggestion of superiority, this was a declaration.

The princesses looked at each other with a look of disbelief, Sunbeam tossing her yellow, orange, and red braid over her shoulder as she laughed.

"Then show us what your talent is, _blank flank_." Sombre's words were the final straw before Grenadine finally summoned the courage to use the spell she had been practicing.

With an ear-piercing shriek and a large blast of green magic encompassing Grenadine's eyes and horn, she pointed towards Sombre and Sunbeam and blasted their feet, growing crystals from the ground up, trapping the legs of the princesses in a cage of bright red quartz.

As her magic faded, another blast of light surrounded the Umbrum, but much less intense and green, this time. Grenadine's Cutie Mark had appeared. It was a white moon with a light pink spirit floating around the top.

"What is the meaning of all this racket?" Principal Hoofington shouted, coming outside to the courtyard where shouts of alarm had been originating from. As he approached the princesses and Grenadine, he looked at the crystals, to the alarmed state of the girls trapped in them, to the new Cutie Mark, and then to the crowd of students around the collection of quartz.

"Mister Hoofington!" One of the students called out. "Grenadine used magic! She got her Cutie Mark! She trapped the princesses in the crystals!" He was spouting words, each making Grenadine look worse and worse.

Crystals were only to be summoned in dark magic. That must have meant… "Grenadine Grim," The principal began, walking over to the Umbrum filly. "You're coming to the office with me right now."


	6. Chapter 6

Later in life Grenadine might understand why she had lashed out like that, but right now she was more concerned with the fact that she had just earned her Cutie Mark after nearly killing someone.

"We've contacted your mother," Principal Hoofington claimed as he sat down across from the young filly. "She should be here shortly. In the meantime, could you tell me where you learned magic like that?"

Grenadine was looking around the office at all the plaques and alumni posters that belonged to the dull, grey stallion that ruled the school. "Um," she began. How was Grenadine supposed to admit that she had been studying dark magic right under her adopted mother's nose? "I guess I was just curious and wanted to learn more than the default spells all Unicorns learn?"

Hoofington had an unimpressed look on his face. He wasn't buying it. "So you just happened to acquire the knowledge of Dark Crystal Magic that only the Umbrum Sombra has ever used properly?" He prodded. It was widely known that the Crystal Empire had been attacked with dark crystals, nearly killing all those who lived there. This was suspicious and Grenadine needed an out.

"Grenadine? Sweetheart?" A familiar voice called. _Bingo_. Golden Rays quickly entered the office where the principal and her adopted daughter were sitting, creating buffer time for the young girl to figure out what she needed to say to get out of here unscathed.

"Missus Rays-"

"Just call me Golden, please."

"Miss Golden," Hoofington began his rant about how Grenadine nearly killed two students- the _princesses_\- with Dark Crystal Magic. Something no one should ever come in contact with. Not only that, Grenadine had earned her Cutie Mark after performing the spell on accident.

"Goodness," Goldie whispered. She looked at the peach Umbrum and sighed. This wasn't how her life was supposed to unfold. Grenadine had lost her parents because they didn't want her to grow up somewhere she would be feared. "Well, this may come as a surprise, but many children don't earn Cutie Marks by simply lifting a book off of the ground. Grenadine may have done some unconditional magic in order to earn it, but she didn't hurt anyone," Goldie stopped and let Principal Hoofington gasp before she continued. "Are the princesses still alive and well?"

Hoofington nodded.

"Then I don't see much that needs to be done."

Grenadine smiled widely as she watched the event unfold before her eyes. Not only was her mother standing up for her, but the principal was unable to disagree. Sure, Grenadine hadn't studied the safest magic, but no one was hurt when she studied the darker spells, so who's to say they're really that bad?

Grenadine had zoned out long enough to completely block out the conversation her guardian was having with the principal, and only came back to reality when Golden Rays nudged the filly with her arm and said, "Let's go home."

* * *

Goldie had only just closed the door before she began to speak. "Grenadine, where did you learn that magic?"

The Umbrum looked at the yellow Unicorn and shuffled her hooves on the ground. "The library?" She suggested. It wasn't a total lie.

"The library?" Goldie repeated with a disbelieving tone. "I'm pretty sure ponies don't just let children check out a book with _forbidden magic_ in it on the regular."

Grenadine sighed and went to her room. She got the book of spells from under her bed and showed it to her guardian. "I got it from the library. I didn't do it like with most books, though. The library mare was really difficult to convince."

Goldie gasped as she took the book from her child. Flipping through the pages, she saw all sorts of magic, including the kind with crystals. The kind Grenadine used. The yellow mare sighed and decided it was time the filly learned why Sombra was terrible. Not the regular history lessons, but the pony folktales that demonize Umbrums.

"You know, hon," Goldie began. "King Sombra was very powerful, and that on its own was quite good. He had a wonderful lady friend and everyone loved him," There was a pause. "However magic soon would be his downfall.

"Sombra was kind to his people but sought after more power than he already possessed. He figured that if he was more magical, he could do more for the Empire. He was wrong, though. The further he fell into the pit of magic, the darker the spells became and the harder it would be for him to shake off the addiction to power.

"In the end, Sombra was so obsessed with magic that he was no longer the same Sombra. His partner left him, his people were terrified of what he had become, and he was simply a husk of his former self."

Grenadine's mouth was hanging open with awe. _This _is why Sombra was hated? Because he used too much magic? The Dark Crystal Magic was _that _big of a deal that it's associated with one of the worst leaders in all of Equestrian history?

"Grenadine," Goldie looked directly into the eyes of her child. "I know you just earned your Cutie Mark. I know that, and I also know that this means you'll want to learn more magic, but your people have a history of going too deep into the rabbit hole. I need you to promise me you won't study any more dark magic. Do you understand?"

The statement of "I need you to promise you won't end up like him" went unspoken.

Grenadine nodded her head. She knew her mother was too scared to handle the fact that her daughter had memorized every spell in that book.


	7. Chapter 7

Grenadine didn't have many incidents as the years went on. In fact, years six through nine went off without a hitch. Sombre and Sunbeam switched from regular schooling to studying with their mothers on how to be proper princesses.

She was fifteen now and had finally escaped the torture of the two soon-to-be Alicorns. Year ten would be starting tomorrow and- unbeknownst to Grenadine- there would be an escort joining the young mare.

The peach Umbrum mare had still been practising her spells under the cover of the night. After Goldie had gone to bed, Grenadine would escape out her window with only the Moon as her witness. She'd walk into the forest and begin practising her Crystal Magic. It was risky, yes, but it was something different. Grenadine had promised not to use the book anymore, but all the other spells were just so _boring _after she had been exposed to Dark Magic.

Tonight was no different. Grenadine had snuck out after Goldie went to bed, carrying the book in her saddlebag into her little spot in the forest. It was a small clearing surrounded by tall trees with thick leaves. Near the area was a cave that had blue crystals near the entrance, secluded enough from anything that Grenadine was aware existed. She had been practising a spell that would resurrect dead plants (she was going to move onto small animals soon) when she heard the snapping of a twig nearby.

"Hello?" Grenadine called out. Her eyes were glowing in the dark, the same colour as her horn had just been moments ago.

There was no response. Grenadine ignored it and continued reading the spell. Right as the plant began to rise back up, looking similar to its living self, the twigs snapped again. This time the noise was followed by a voice.

"Hey, how are you doing that?" Said the voice. Grenadine yelped.

"Who are you?" The Umbrum jumped up, grabbing the spellbook with her magic and keeping a safe distance from the now visible figure. He was a Zebra- sort of. The stallion who had interrupted the study session was a pale blue, almost white. He had a light blue, swirled mane and tail, and grey markings on all of his legs. The markings went up about halfway and then stopped with a little grey extrusion and another little grey marking right above the cutoff. Despite his Zebra appearance, the stallion had a Cutie Mark. It was a magenta moon with smaller, light pink stars around it.

"I'm Snow Spellcaster. I live here with my great grandmother," The Zebra stepped closer towards Grenadine. "You still haven't told me how you were doing that. I've never seen that kind of magic used by someone so young."

The Umbrum held her ground. There was no reason for her to answer the question, but Snow answered so it was only fair. "I'm Grenadine. I come here to practice spells," She debated whether or not to tell the stallion what exactly the spells were.

Snow didn't seem to mind the lack of thorough explanation. He shook his head and motioned for Grenadine to follow him.

"Come on into the cave. It's getting darker. You shouldn't be out this late unless you know how to protect yourself," The howling of timberwolves sounded in the distance, but Grenadine stayed put.

"Know how to protect yourself?" Grenadine repeated. "You think I'm a helpless filly?" The Umbrum's eyes began to glow slightly, her magic tinting purple.

A timberwolf jumped out from seemingly nowhere. Before Snow was able to warn his newfound companion, she was blasting it to ashes. If this were any other person, Snow might see this as insulting. However this was a young Umbrum, something Snow had never seen in his forest before. His eyes were wide and his hooves were in a defensive stance.

The half-Zebra finally broke the silence, his red eyes still blown wide. "How about you come inside and have a cup of tea with my Nana? We can discuss your... power."

* * *

The cave that Genadine always practised outside of was incredible. There were crystals all over the walls, crafted into the tree trunks decorating the floor, lanterns lighting the room. It was truly a magical sight. There were two smaller openings toward the back of the cave, likely leading to rooms for each of the two Zebras that lived there.

Once she was introduced properly after observing the home, Grenadine saw that Snow's Nana was quite different from Snow himself. She was a purebred Zebra, unlike her grandson. Her coat was white, her black markings covering most of her body. Her mane was greyed from years past, and her eyes...

The grandmother- Zaliah was her name- had been blinded by an attack of some sort of monster from the woods where she lived. Her eyes had been targeted and the outcome was a pair of foggy, pale yellow eyes. The blindness didn't stop her from performing rituals and such. It seemed that the handicap had given her more power, what with her "third eye" opened, according to Nana.

"She says she can see things that others can't," Snow said. He admired his grandmother greatly since she was the only family he had left. "Once, she predicted that there would be a dark spirit that entered the forest. She was right; I was nearly killed when it invaded the cave."

Grenadine had been welcomed easily into the home. Her book was safe, Nana didn't mind her. Everything had been going well, the tea, Nana's stories from her past, Snow interpreting the rhymes when Grenadine couldn't understand. But all good things come to an end, and soon Nana began to ask questions about the Umbrum in her presence.

"My eyes are old but do not deceive, is there not something that is up your sleeve?" Nana asked, setting down the teapot she had been pouring. The pale yellow eyes were looking directly at Grenadine.

It was a sudden switch from the kind mare to the prying witch. The young Umbrum couldn't do much but open and close her mouth. Snow cocked his head in confusion.

"Are you going to show her the book?" The blue Zebra asked. He was also looking at Grenadine, but it was more out of expectance, not inquiry.

"Um, yeah. Yes, I mean," Grenadine pulled the book of spells out from behind her, setting it on the table with her magic. "I've been practising in this forest because my mother doesn't want me to practice at home. Well, she doesn't want me to practice at all, really. There was an incident when I was young, and it scared a lot of people."

Grenadine continued on her rant, spilling secret after secret to these strangers, hoping they would understand her lust for magic. There was no way that the descendant of an Umbrum _king _could simply ignore her calling, after all.

Zariah finally spoke after the peach mare finished rambling.

"You speak the truth, but please beware. Your magic abilities will cause quite a scare. I've seen this before and I'll say it again," Zariah had begun to swirl the cup of tea in front of her ominously, still staring Grenadine down with unblinking eyes. "The origin of your magic will cause nothing but pain."

Snow and Grenadine were shocked. The latter chuckled awkwardly, hoping to break the silence. "Um, Grenadine," He stood up and began to walk towards the opening in the cave. "I think it's time to leave."

Grenadine swallowed uneasily and stood up as well, following the young stallion to the entrance. "Yeah. Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Thank you for having me," She grabbed her spellbook and finally left the cave.


	8. Chapter 8

"What in Equestria was that?" Grenadine exclaimed. She and her new acquaintance had finally made it out of earshot of the cave, and Snow had been silent.

"I know, it was odd. We've only just met and I probably should have been more open with my Nana before you properly met her."

The two teenagers continued walking, Grenadine worrying about how dark it had gotten and if her mother would notice she was gone.

"I've been practising dark magic."

Snow laughed awkwardly in response.

"I'm serious. You asked how I was bringing that plant back to life and I said I practise spells, but I didn't specify what kind." Grenadine looked at the light blue Zebra, wondering about his reaction.

"Wow," Snow said in disbelief.

"Yeah. I know. My mom doesn't want me to be practising any of this anymore, and you know why. I appreciate you being nice to me when you found me in your forest right outside your home, but I think now I need to get some rest and sleep off that encounter." Grenadine turned away and began to walk home a little faster. There was no point in staying with Snow if he was simply going to gawk at her ability.

"No, wait!" The Zebra stuttered as he caught up with the Umbrum. He began to time his steps to match hers, his blue mane bouncing as he walked. "I don't think it's weird or anything. I know you should be careful, so I think I'll enlist myself as your guide through dark magic!"

The two continued to walk, but now they were staring right at each other. A guide? What would a Zebra know about dark magic other than it's bad?

Grenadine sighed, exasperated at the stallion's attempts to empathize. "Listen, Snow," she began. "I appreciate your offer, but I can handle myself. I destroyed a timberwolf in seconds, don't you remember? Though, I'll admit I'm pretty sure that was just adrenaline or something..."

"But if you let me help then it wouldn't be reflex! It would be purposeful! I can help train you! I know some spells, conditioning, potions. I can help you! Please!" It seemed as though the stallion wasn't going to let up.

Grenadine huffed.

"Fine. You can help train me."

Snow lit up.

"On one condition!" The Umbrum mare looked him in the eyes, making sure he was paying attention. "You don't act like you're training me or anything. You let me introduce you to my mom as a close friend, an exchange student, maybe," Her green eyes flicked back and forth in thought.

"Do I need to enrol in your school or something?" Snow cocked his head to the side, completely serious. This was a once in a lifetime offer; Zebras aren't seen as regular ponies in Equestria. They had always been cast out as witches without horns, or some sort of magic entity that could curse someone without a second thought.

"No, you don't need to enrol in my school. I mean, I won't stop you if you want to, but that's not what _I _need you to do." Grenadine and Snow began walking again, the small house coming into view. "I just need you to not tell my mom what I'm doing. That sound good?"

The two had spoken for long enough that they had arrived at the front of the house and hadn't noticed. Snow nodded and said his farewell to Grenadine as she snuck back in through her window. The two both began to wonder how the following days would commence.

* * *

"Grenadine! Wake up, hon! You need to get ready for school!" Goldie called from the kitchen.

It was another day where Grenadine would go to school, learn what she already knew, and some back to begin practising her own thing. She was getting good at necromancy with plants, maybe she'd try with something larger once she got it down.

"Coming!" The teenager called back to her adopted mother.

She was tired of lying, but it seemed there wouldn't be any other option. How else would Grenadine reach her full potential? Her Cutie Mark appeared after she performed a spell with _Dark Magic_. There was no way the Umbrum could have left that alone.

At least she had Snow. He had promised not to say anything to anyone, and would hopefully help Grenadine get her Dark Crystal Magic under control.

"There you are," Goldie placed a plate of pancakes in front of her daughter's seat.

Grenadine slid out the chair with her magic, sitting herself down. She yawned widely, failing to stifle it in front of the Unicorn Mare.

"Someone's tired," Goldie joked. "Didn't sleep well last night? I guess you saw the papers. I wouldn't sleep well if I was you, either."

That statement shook Grenadine from her trance of fatigue and shocked her into paying attention. "What was in the papers?" She asked in confusion. Sure, Grenadine had been distracted with the magic and Snow, but what was so important that her mother assumed she wouldn't be able to sleep because of it?

"It's Sombre and Sunbeam, hon." Goldie picked up the newspaper off of the counter with her magic, handing it to her daughter. "They've taken a break from their princess studies due to a few protests about inequality among the civilians. They'll be coming to your school again starting today."

Goldie knew all about the bullying. Ever since the incident that resulted in Grenadine getting her Cutie Mark, Golden Rays made it her sworn duty to be informed about her daughter's wellbeing. There were bandages packed, a few self-defence spells taught (never used, of course. Grenadine needed to help with magic unless she taught herself).

If only Goldie could protect the young mare from the emotional distress that the two royals brought Grenadine.

The peach Umbrum's eyes widened as she read over the article that discussed the two princesses returning to public schooling. Things had been going so well, why did they have to get screwed over now?

"I think I need to be going soon," Grenadine said as she glanced at the clock. "I'll head to school early and try to avoid them for now." The mare shovelled the rest of the pancakes into her mouth, put her saddlebag across her back, hugged her mother and opened the door, taking a few breaths before finally exiting the house.

"All right, sweetheart. Be safe!" Goldie waved to her daughter as she walked down the pathway to school.

* * *

It had only been a couple of minutes after leaving when a familiar figure approached the young Umbrum, giddy as he walked with her.

"Why, hello there, Grenadine!" Snow happily greeted.

Grenadine was shocked. "Why are you here? I've never seen you anywhere but in the forest _once _and suddenly you're walking with me to school?" The Zebra simply shrugged in response.

"I was eager to work with you. This is a big deal!" Snow seemed to bounce on his feet, the items in his saddlebag nearly falling out. Grenadine made a mental note that he was wearing a saddlebag. "I convinced my mother that I needed a proper education. Ever since mom and dad disappeared, she's only been teaching me potions and magic. It's great, really. But I do want to go to school with other ponies."

"Really? That's the whole reason? You enrolled in schooling- you convinced your _grandmother_, a woman who wanted me out of her sight once we got a conversation going. Someone who would be going to school _with you_. You did this just to get a stupid, city-pony education?" Grenadine was angrily stomping now, looking at Snow as she discussed the recent events.

"I guess I also did it to help keep your magic in check..." Snow admitted, bowing his head slightly.

"There we go."

The two finally reached the school building, walking into the classroom. The good thing about public schools in Equestria is that there were never many kids, to begin with. Most of the time there were only two teachers for the same grade level if there was an overflow. It was a steady society, not many elders, not many kids. Getting an education was easy.

"Sunbeam, doth my eyes deceive me? Is that the famed Grenadine Grim?"

Getting an education was easy if bullies weren't always on your tail.


	9. Chapter 9

"Sombre."

"Grenadine."

Immediately after walking into the classroom, Sombre Flame and Sunbeam Spirit had entered right behind Grenadine and hew new friend.

"It looks like you two got kicked out of your training classes," Grenadine teased. "What, were you two both too much of a royal pain to deal with?" The Umbrum smirked at her clever wordplay. The princesses did not.

"Excuse you," Sunbeam began. Her braid from primary school seemed to have been traded out with a long ponytail. She tossed the yellow, orange, and red ponytail over her shoulder as she spoke. "We simply decided to integrate ourselves into the lower class society. We couldn't let our people suffer from you walking among them."

Grenadine bared her teeth. "Why, you little-"

"Looks like I haven't been properly introduced to you two," Snow intercepted the argument, diffusing the situation with a soft smile. "I'm Snow Spellcaster. I'm new to the school system, but I'm sure it'll be fine with you two here, correct?"

Snow had never met the royals. He had only ever heard rumours from his spot in the forest. Nana advised against getting involved in Equestrian politics. Grenadine had yet to teach him how horrid the Princess of the Sun and Princess of the Moon really behaved.

"Oh, of course!" Sombre feigned kindness, overexaggerating her speech, sounding sickeningly sweet. "I'm Sombre Flame,"

"And I'm Sunbeam Spirit,"

"And the wonderful witch next to you is Grenadine Gross. She's the one who's responsible for the removal of us from public school." Sombre and Sunbeam stared at the peach Umbrum with looks that could have been deadly.

Grenadine scoffed as a few others entered the room.

"How about we finish this later, hm?" Sunbeam smiled mockingly at the peach mare, taking a seat toward the back of the classroom. Sombre followed her and sat down as well.

"You removed them from school?" Snow asked in astonishment.

"No! Well, kind of," Grenadine's eyes flicked around the room, settling on two seats near the window. "Let's sit down and wait for the professor. I'll tell you before she gets in."

The two walked over to the seats, taking their place before Grenadine began to ramble on about her magic and the issue with it when she was younger. Snow knew about her lack of complete control, but he had never gotten the full story before. When Grenadine had explained her magic to Snow's grandmother, the mare had left out the part about harming the princesses. Instead, she had simply given a suggestion as to her issues in grade school. As the Umbrum explained it, the Zebra hybrid stayed silent, his face making small movements at each point in the story.

"Morning, everyone!" A voice called from the front of the room.

The professor had arrived. She was a dark brown pegasus with large red glasses. Her mane was a very pale red, tied back into a bun, the same with her tail. Her Cutie Mark was a script, tied up with a ribbon and wax seal. An approachable teacher, but likely a no-nonsense type.

"My name is Grammar Lee, but you will all call me Ms G. For the next one hundred and eighty days I will be your instructor. I'm currently passing out the syllabus that will guide you through my class."

Ms G continued her spiel about her classroom expectations, receiving a fair amount of groans from the students. At the end of the speech, each student had three papers in front of them. A syllabus, a schedule for the next month, and the first homework assignment.

Grenadine sighed, looking over everything. She stopped when one of the assignments for the month would be a history of magic, including Dark Magic. Not once in her entire schooling years had Dark Magic been discussed inside of any classroom. Would this give Grenadine a leg up, or would she get caught when the assignment began? Ignoring the thoughts of possible punishment, the peach Umbrum packed her things away and waited for the class to end.

* * *

Lunch period seemed to take forever to get around to, what with Ms G giving speech after speech about class expectations and "mutual respect for each and every one of your peers." The bell had finally rung and Grenadine left with Snow on her tail.

Sombre and Sunbeam were chatting away, talking about some of the more promising Unicorns they saw, the cute Pegasi boys, and- of course- Grenadine and her new friend. It was as if the two girls were nothing but books filled to the brim with gossip, their pages nothing but rumours, false facts without research. Grenadine tried to ignore them.

"Oh, Sombre, wouldn't it be a shame if Grenadine Gross happened to lose her temper again?" Sunbeam taunted, raising her voice from across the lunchroom. There was a lack of supervision in the corner where the princesses were sitting. "I would just hate it if _she _had to be removed this time. Dark Crystal Magic _is_ forbidden, after all."

The grey Unicorn smirked in response. Were these two only able to enjoy themselves if they were bringing someone else down? "Oh, it would be a shame. She worked so hard to... to do what? Nothing? Oh, maybe it wouldn't be such a shame if she left."

Grenadine growled under her breath, trying her best to block out the rude remarks from the royal Unicorns sitting a few tables down. A small crowd had gathered around the area that wasn't directly between the two parties in conflict.

"Hey, calm down!" Snow called out, attempting to snuff out the flame of anger that was growing in Grenadine. "Grenadine never did anything purposefully to you. She had a bout of anger _once._ Is that really a reason to bully her for the rest of her life?"

There was silence. It was unusual for someone to talk so confidently to the princesses of night and day. Grenadine chuckled when she saw an empty glass bottle on the seat next to Snow. He must have used one of his potions to gain some ground before talking, she thought. Maybe he can make something to help with my "bouts of anger" as he put it.

"Oh, shut up you witch!" Sombre shouted. There were a few gasps in the cafeteria. Were there really no adults in the room? "You don't know anything about your little friend. Go back to the forest with your stupid crystals."

Grenadine couldn't take it. She let her anger get the better of her and began to conjure up the same spell that she had used so many years ago. There was a bright flash of green where Grenadine's eyes lit up, but this time there was something else there. Her magic bubbled like it was boiling around her horn. She cast the spell at the feet of Sombre, Sunbeam attempting to jump out of the way. It was in vain, as the Umbrum moved her magic to the feet of the Princess of the Day, trapping her as well.

Dark crystals came up from the ground, branching off like roots. Students in the cafeteria screamed, running away. Someone must have called a teacher, because suddenly Ms G was in the room, ordering the children to evacuate the premises. Parents were called soon after.

"Grenadine Grim!" Ms G shouted. The four remaining ponies in the room were completely silent, Grenadine only just coming down off her of her magic high. Her horn stopped bubbling and she looked Sombre in the eye in defiance. Ms G was having none of it. "Miss Grim, you're coming to my office. _Now._"


	10. Chapter 10

"According to your transcript, this is your second incident with Dark Crystal Magic, is that correct?" Ms G asked Grenadine.

The two were sitting in an office somewhere in the school building, away from the rest of the students. Ms G had called Golden Rays, announced that she would need a sub for her class later in the day, shut the door, and began to interrogate the young mare.

"Yes, ma'am," Grenadine answered, looking around the room. "I let my temper get the best of me, I'm sorry. It won't happen again-"

"You're damn sure it won't," Ms G sternly declared. Grenadine was shocked into making eye contact, allowing herself to be met with a pair of bright green eyes, almost mirroring her own. "I've had all sorts of troublesome students pass through my class, but no one was such a deviant as to use Dark Crystal Magic on another peer!"

Grammar was almost on top of Grenadine at this point, towering over the young mare while she continued to yell. After she finished her reprimanding, Grammar sighed, pushed up her glasses, and sat back down in her seat. She pulled out a large book with Crystal Empire insignia on it.

"Do you know what this is?" Ms G asked. Grenadine shook her head. "This is the history of the Crystal Empire. From the first princess to King Sombra to Princess Cadence to you."

Grenadine tilted her head in confusion. "I don't understand what you're getting at. Aren't I in trouble for the Dark Crystal Magic? Is my mother coming to get me?" The young mare was even more confused when Ms G chuckled slightly.

"We called your mother, but it was only to check and see if it would be okay for us to show you your past."

"My past?"

"Yes, Grenadine. You know you were born in the Crystal Empire, correct?" Grenadine nodded. Ms G continued. "You are also aware that your mother was taken away as you were placed on the train?" Grenadine nodded again.

"What does that have to do with anything? I am a teenager at school. It's just my tenth year. You're acting like I'm some long lost princess-" Grenadine cut herself off when she saw the look on Ms G's face. "Wait. Am I a long lost princess?"

"In a few words, yes. You are the direct descendant of King Sombra. Your mother was his great-great-granddaughter. The current leader of the Crystal Empire is the daughter of Princess Flurry Heart, but she nor the rest of her family are the true heirs of that kingdom." Ms G had been flipping through book pages while she spoke, finally landing on a page that looked all-too-familiar to Grenadine.

"What? I'm still confused. Why did this 'prophecy' or whatever wait until I was exactly in my tenth year to tell me I'm this special princess? Shouldn't I be the villain? I'm the evil Umbrum, or whatever." Grenadine was gesturing to her horn while she spoke, ignoring the page. When she finished talking, she finally took note of what was on the paper. "Wait. That's me."

"Indeed it is. It's you as a child. Your mother removed you from the empire because the people were torn between wanting an Umbrum leader once more or having an Alicorn rule over them. I'm sure you know which option was chosen by the majority." Ms G closed the book and placed it back where she had taken it from. "Your use of the Dark Crystal Magic proved what I thought I already knew. Your ability to use it shows that you are not just a genetic mutation in your horn. You're an Umbrum. One of the last.

"I need to order you _never_ use your magic because it could potentially corrupt you. It's corrupted most of your bloodline. Do you understand?" Ms G was serious, staring at Grenadine while she added the last few points into her lecture.

"Yes, ma'am. I won't use Dark Crystal Magic anymore."

Ms G sighed, walked to her door, and nearly opened it. "I apologize for the bluntness of this conversation, but you needed to be informed. Times are changing and I don't want your opportunity to slip out of your hands. My hope for you is that you reclaim the throne for your kind. Some people need to see you are not your ancestors."

Reading between the lines, Grenadine could tell Ms G was referring to Sombre and Sunbeam. There would always be someone who wouldn't accept new bloodlines. Ms G opened the door.

"I advise you to look into this further. Maybe you can befriend Princess Mirror Glaze and rule together. I apologize again for this strange conversation, but you need to find out about your ancestry before you lose your temper again and let things get out of hand."

"Thank you. I'll do my best."

And with that, Grenadine left the office and entered the hallway. To her surprise, Snow had been waiting right outside the door, reading a book in a language that the mare didn't understand.

Snow looked up as he heard the door click closed. "Grenadine!" He said, snapping his book closed. "What happened? I heard yelling and then things went quiet. Are you okay?"

Grenadine huffed out a laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. "I'm the heir to the Crystal Empire throne."

"You- you what?" Snow asked. "You're the heir to the throne?"

The repetition made the two ponies share a small laugh, leaving the hallway and walking toward the classroom. Grenadine filled Snow in on the lecture that Ms G gave her, about how her Dark Crystal Magic indicated that she was an actual Umbrum, and how it was here bloodline that was supposed to rule the throne.

"But didn't Sombra forcefully take over the empire?" The blue Zebra asked when the two reached their destination.

"See, that's what I was thinking. But I think somewhere along the lines of royalty, Sombra forcefully taking over counts as him being a proper king. He was the first leader, and his 'death' meant the next of kin or next chosen got the crown. Guess that now there's a rightful heir, it all kind of cancels out."

As the two students entered the room, some murmurs came from the ponies already sitting. Sombre and Sunbeam were whispering in each other's ears, clearly upset about Grenadine continuing to sit in class.

Luckily, Ms G entered the room and was able to diffuse the situation. "Children, please calm down. I know you are disgruntled about the Sombre, Sunbeam, and Grenadine situation. So am I," The students were quiet, clearly confused about where their teacher was getting at. "Grenadine is under my watch, and I will be sure that nothing like this incident ever occurs in this building again. Please keep your gossip out of my ears. We will begin the next lesson of the day, now."

Sunbeam audibly gasped, her horn sputtering with a few yellow sparks. She flipped her ponytail and defiantly looked away from the instructor. Someone laughed.

Sombre was also visibly upset, with her purple eyes flicking around the room at the other mares and colts who had easily let the situation go. With a huff, the princess allowed the class to go on without a hitch.


	11. Chapter 11

Grenadine lied.

"Okay, now use the spell!"

A blast of bubbling purple and green magic, a shout, and then crystals. Grenadine was getting her Dark Crystal Magic under control with the help of Snow Spellcaster. Nana was none the wiser, and neither was Golden Rays. The two had been practising in a section of the forest that was much more isolated than the cave where Snow and his grandmother lived.

"Perfect!" Snow called, unable to move due to the bunches of crystals at his feet. "You can do it on command. Hopefully, you can keep yourself from doing it when you're angry. We'll practise again tomorrow, alright?"

Grenadine smiled and nodded. "Sounds great! I need to get back anyways. Mom thinks I'm out studying with you at a library or something."

"I mean, technically we are studying, right?" Snow asked, pouring a potion on the crystals, shaking his feet and breaking free. "We're studying how to get your magic under control. I think this counts as telling the truth."

The two laughed and began to walk back to Snow's cave-home, chatting about their dumb homework assignments as they went.

It had been a couple of days since the "heir to the throne" conversation, and already Grenadine was getting her Dark Crystal Magic under control. She was a quick learner, Snow had realized. By their second attempt at getting her magic under control, it was as if it was never a problem, to begin with. Her temper, on the other hand, was still an issue.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Grenadine asked when they reached the cave opening.

"I'll walk you to school like always, m'lady."

A laugh was shared, and the two bid goodbye. They had gotten close in the days they had known each other. Sure, it was only a few days, but a few days where nearly every hour was shared. If she was being honest with herself, Grenadine admitted that she could see herself with Snow in a romantic sort of way.

"You're home! Oh, good. I wasn't sure what you would want for dinner so I decided to lay out some options and ask you when you got home," Goldie called from the front door. "Also, we need to talk."

Grenadine was taken aback. Need to talk? She shook her head to clear her mind of worrisome thoughts and entered the familiar home. There was a list on the fridge of different meals. "I think spaghetti would be good, tonight. What do we need to talk about?"

"This." Goldie pulled out the book that Ms G had first shown the young Umbrum. "I know your teacher showed this to you. You haven't mentioned it to me once, and I'm worried you didn't take her words to heart. Do you know what your being a princess means to the rest of us?"

Grenadine wrinkled her nose and squinted her eyes. "What it means to you?" She repeated. "Am I wrong in thinking I'm the only Umbrum here? Ms G said that I need to take the throne back for _my _kind. Not anyone else."

Golden Rays sighed and took a seat, pulling out a chair with her magic and gesturing for her daughter to do the same. "I know. I apologize. It shouldn't be up to myself and your teacher about whether or not you take up this offer," Grenadine nodded in affirmation of the statement. "But this is big. There hasn't been a proper Umbrum leader in _years_, hon. Princess Mirror Glaze is a wonderful empress, but she's not the rightful ruler. You are."

Grenadine rolled her eyes and sighed. Goldie had a point. The mare could deny the request and simply continue living her life, caring for no one more than herself or she could take her place as Empress of the Crystal Empire. The latter did sound much more exciting.

"I know I haven't mentioned the book. I didn't want to talk about the fact that I'm not meant to be here. How would you react if you were suddenly told that the old home that would have possibly killed you if you stayed now needs you to rule, hm?" Grenadine was squinting her eyes aggressively, Goldie leaning slightly backwards in fear of her daughter's argument.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I just feel like you need to think about your future. I won't discuss it anymore if that's what you would like. You said spaghetti for dinner?" Goldie stood up and tried to calm down herself and her daughter. Grenadine scrunched up her face in an emotion Goldie couldn't quite place.

"I'm sorry, mom. No, you're right. I need to deal with this," Grenadine looked at her mom while apologizing, standing up and getting the ingredients out for dinner. "I'll read up on the Crystal Empire tonight and maybe tomorrow we can book a train ticket. I think we should properly check out my kingdom."

Goldie was smiling and she laughed at Grenadine's joke about her kingdom. "That sounds good, hon. Homemade or canned sauce?"

* * *

After a proper dinner (with homemade sauce) and a good rest, Grenadine had been able to make it through the next days at school with minimal teasing. She didn't lose her temper, she kept her distance from Sombre and Sunbeam, and Snow started making an anger-subduing potion for Grenadine to take in the morning. The pair had been practising spells in the woods for the week, making sure they had the violent ones under control.

Goldie and Grenadine had decided that they would wait to get the ticket on Saturday. The Umbrum mare had done a fair amount of research on the Crystal Ponies and their current princess, making sure not to miss any detail about how they would treat Umbrums if they saw one.

After the week had ended, Goldie had bought three tickets for the train to the Crystal Empire. Grenadine had convinced her that Snow needed to come along since he was there when Grenadine had first been told the news.

"All aboard for the Crystal Empire!" The conductor called from his spot on the train.

The three ponies all stood up from their place on the train platform, boarding on one of the train cars and setting their stuff down on an open row of seats. Each had a saddlebag with a few belongings in it.

"This is so exciting!" Snow said, bouncing in his seat. "You're going to see where you were born! How do you feel?" The Zebra put an arm around his friend, suddenly becoming serious when asking the question.

Grenadine smiled tiredly, looking at Goldie and then back to Snow. "I'm feeling a little weird. Like there are butterflies in my stomach. Do you think Mirror Glaze will talk to me?"

"She'll talk to you, don't worry. If she doesn't, we'll have to put up a fight and demand your throne be given back to you." Goldie responded quickly, easing her daughter's fears.

One row of seats down, a pony overheard the trio talking about their plans for the Crystal Empire.

"You're the lost royal?" He asked. There was a hint of disbelief in his voice, his face having a trace of a smirk.

"That's what I've been told," Grenadine responded simply. No use lying at this point.

"You and every other pony on this train," The stallion stated. There was confusion on the trio's faces as the stallion turned back around.

"What do you mean by that?" Snow asked, his red eyes searching the train car for what the stallion meant.

"All sorts of Unicorns and Earth Ponies with Unicorn friends try applying glamour magic to themselves to look like the lost royal. They all try to get the throne from the princess. As if your magic is any different. Though I do need to commend you on your handiwork. The horn looks incredibly real."

Grenadine looked at Snow, who looked at Goldie, who had a look of pure disbelief on her face after what the stallion had said. The train came to a stop and the conductor called for all the ponies to get off the train if their desired stop was the Crystal Empire.

The mystery stallion left the train car long before the trio did, getting lost in the sea of ponies entering and exiting.

Someone shoved Grenadine, pushing her into Snow, who caught her easily and blushed. "Careful! You can't get trampled before we prove your royal lineage to Mirror Glaze!" He said.

"Right!" Grenadine said, quickly removing herself from Snow in a bout of rosy blush that quickly spread across her face.

Goldie smiled at the pair, happy that they seemed to be mutually embarrassed.

"Onwards! To the princess!" Grenadine said, marching forwards off the platform and into the borders of her birthplace.


	12. Chapter 12

"There are so many flyers," Snow observed as he, his friend, and his friend's mother walked around the empire.

"You'd think that a kingdom that's thousands of years old that there would be more historical landmarks, not pieces of paper stapled to every house," Grenadine remarked.

The three had been walking for a few minutes, and each had seen at least three flyers about auditioning to be the Lost Royal in front of Princess Mirror Glaze. Some of the flyers were dated for a few months ago, others for this afternoon. Currently, Grenadine and her mother and friend were on their way to a signup table directly outside of the castle.

"Come one, come all! Try your hand at showing off your talent and claiming your title of the Lost Royal of the Crystal Empire! Today's auditions begin at noon, where Princess Mirror Glaze will judge your worthiness based off of a single spell! You know the one!" Grenadine was astonished to see that the pony leading the signup sheet was none other than the stallion that had been on the train.

"You again?" Goldie called out. The stallion turned to look at the yellow Unicorn, huffing out a semblance of a laugh.

"I am glad to see you, darling!" The stallion ignored Goldie in favour of Grenadine and her appearance. "I wouldn't be surprised if you're the one who finally ends these tiresome auditions. I'm getting sick of coming back here every week to host these things. I'm missing the husband back home, ya know?"

Suddenly, a crowd of Umbrums filed in line behind Grenadine, all of them talking excitedly among themselves about what trick they were going to perform. Grenadine quickly signed up to audition at noon, leaving the unnamed stallion to fend for himself while the glamoured Unicorns each signed up.

"I hope he gets back home safe after you nail this!" Snow exclaimed. Grenadine smiled awkwardly as she led her mother and friend to a nearby bench, unsure of how this "audition" would play out. What spell?

"Yeah, sounds great."

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The stallion from the train called out. Somehow he had moved an entire stage in front of the Crystal Heart, placed speakers on either side and sat a large chair in the centre of the said stage in about an hour.

"Ooh, Grenadine!" Goldie quickly stood up and tapped her daughter on her shoulder. "It's time to get ready! You need to get ready to audition!"

How the three ponies had gone from seriously talking about Grenadine's future to happily routing for her in a talent show, Grenadine had no idea.

"I have sorted your names in alphabetical order, so please make sure to listen for when I call you! The princess will not wait for you to start!"

As if on cue- which was extremely likely- Princess Mirror Glaze emerged from somewhere behind the stage, walked up and sat in her throne.

Snow and Grenadine shared a look and then looked at the princess in awe. She was an Alicorn with a pale, strawberry blonde coat and golden shoes on her hooves. Her wings were faded pink at the ends of her feathers. Mirror Glaze's hair was a fluffy magenta, with a yellow streak in it matched with a light pink one. Her mane was tied into a large, messy bun, placed at the top of her head. Her Cutie Mark was a pink heart with hot pink icing drizzled on top.

"Welcome, everyone, to this week's auditions to be the Lost Royal!" Mirror Glaze announced loudly. Her voice was happy, but her expression didn't match. Mirror's teal eyes were tired, lazily drifting around the crowd to see who would be performing today. "I'm your Princess, Mirror Glaze. Please, would the first-"

Mirror cut herself off when she made eye contact with Grenadine. Snow made a sound of jealousy from next to Grenadine, but she wasn't paying attention. The Princess and Umbrum had attracted attention with their staring contest, and Mirror finally broke the silence.

"You," She said, her voice no longer projecting to the citizens. "Come up here. I want you to audition."

There was a collective murmur followed by a hush that fell over the crowd when the announcer stallion cleared a path for Grenadine to walk along. Once the Umbrum was on the stage, she glanced around for a sign about what she should do. There hadn't been any clue as to what spell the announcer was referring to. Grenadine turned around for a moment and saw an expectant look on Snow's face. Suddenly she knew what to do.

"Um," Grenadine said. No more words were spoken as she did her best to summon up the Dark Crystal Magic inside of her. Horn bubbling, eyes glowing, the mare took a deep breath and aimed at the bottom of the throne where Mirror was currently sitting. Grenadine screwed her eyes shut as she cast the spell. There was a flash, a gasp, a scream, and then silence.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer called out. "We have a winner! The Lost Royal has finally been found! Thank you for your cooperation in the tryouts, but you may all go home!"

Grenadine opened her eyes to see Mirror Glaze grinning widely at the large crystals that had sprouted at her feet. A grumble of anger was forming in the crowd behind her, but the only attention Grenadine was paying was to Mirror.

"I can't believe I found you," Mirror said. "Let's go down to your friends. The little Zebra seems a little jealous that I'm grabbing all your attention. Or maybe it's because you're grabbing all of mine," The princess teased. The two walked down off of the stage to Snow and Goldie.

"You did it! I can't believe you went up there!" Goldie happily said, hugging her daughter tightly once she was within reach. "Oh!" The redheaded Unicorn quickly changed to composure, bowing. "Your highness, thank you for noticing my daughter! She only recently heard of her bloodline, and it's wonderful to know that it's not as tragic as she believed."

Mirror laughed. "I can see why you'd imagine it was tragic. Umbrums have always been a tense subject for my citizens. Mom and Grandma were nearly enslaved by one."

Grenadine flinched.

"Oh! No, but please, don't worry. I've made sure that the Crystal Ponies of the Empire are open-minded. In the past sixteen years of my life, my mother has ensured that I was going to take over the throne of a kingdom where ponies were accepting."

Snow walked to Grenadine's side, smiling as he did so.

"Isn't this great, Grenadine?" He asked, blue mane bouncing as he emoted. "You'll have your kingdom, free from Sombre and Sunbeam! I bet they're jealous."

The trio of Ponyville ponies laughed while Mirror smiled awkwardly, looking to the side. The princess didn't understand the reference but tried to understand anyways.

"You have such a sweet boyfriend. I wish I could be in a relationship like yours," The princess commented.

Snow sputtered, face blossoming into a watercolour painting of red. "A what? We- we're not-" He took a few steps back, shocked by what Mirror had just said.

Goldie laughed. "It's cute that you think they are, but these two aren't dating, hon."

"Oh!" It was Mirror's turn to blush. "I'm so sorry, I just assumed..." There was quiet. Mirror cleared her throat. "Um, now that we've established your leadership, I'll show you around the castle. Please, follow- can I touch your horn?"

"What?" Grenadine stepped back a little, taken aback by the sudden subject change.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I've seen so many fake Umbrums come through here every month, I'd love to be sure your horn is real. Is that okay?" Mirror glanced at Snow, who had an uncomfortable look on his face, cheeks still slightly red from the previous assumption.

"Um, sure."

The Alicorn gently moved her hoof to touch the tip of the curved Umbrum horn, Grenadine leaning slightly down for her to do so.

"Incredible," The pink mare breathed.

"Well!" Snow said a little too loud, breaking the mood the environment had had previously. "I think we should go inside now."

"I also think we should go inside now," Goldie said, her presence having been forgotten by the three teenagers around her. "It wouldn't be good to come here only to forget our main mission in the first place."

All three faces of the young ponies burst into flames as they each began to stutter and awkwardly regain the composure they had before Goldie made her observation.

"Yes! Inside we go!" Mirror said, leading the trio behind her into the Crystal Palace.


	13. Chapter 13

"So this is the throne room. Down the hall is the guards' quarters, and upstairs is my bedroom as well as a few other private rooms for family members. Mom's been away on some sort of trip, so every room is free. She and dad are living in Ponyville, anyways. I needed leadership experience early on, but I guess now I'm free from that," Mirror joked, showing the three newcomers around the Crystal Palace.

"So, you live here alone?" Grenadine asked, her eyes wandering around the large room. Her voice echoed while she spoke, walked, did anything.

"Um, most of the time?" Mirror responded, but it sounded more like a question. "Mom and dad say I need proper experience if I'm going to be the next Princess."

"But now that Grenadine's here, will that mean you'll have to leave?" Snow prodded, his voice quiet. It was a question the rest of the ponies were too scared to ask. Mirror shifted her weight once Snow finally let it out in the open.

"Yes," The Alicorn replied simply.

There was an uncomfortable silence as the four ponies looked around the palace. It seemed there were no guards on duty, and the commotion outside had gotten quite low. Since there was no longer a need to "audition" as The Lost Princess, the one train-pony-host wouldn't be signing people up anymore. It was a strange turn of events, Grenadine thought as the silence grew. Her arrival had changed the entire dynamic of the Cyrstal Empire, so much so that the literal Empress had to retire so Grenadine could take her place. Why and how was that fair?

"No," The Umbrum stated out loud. Goldie tilted her head at her daughter's small outburst. Snow and Mirror shared a look between themselves.

"What do you mean by 'no?'" Goldie leaned forward, urging her daughter to elaborate. The yellow mare's crimson hair bounced as she spoke.

"I mean no. Mirror won't have to leave. She'll rule the Crystal Empire with me. We'll both be the Empresses," Grenadine said. She blew a piece of her dark red hair out of her face and continued. "And Snow can rule along with us! He's not blood-related to any of the rulers, but he can be a Royal Advisor, or something! It can be a trio of leaders! That way_ no one_ has to leave!" Grenadine happily looked around at her friends and mother, hoping to receive a similar reaction.

"That... could work," Snow said, lifting a leg as he stepped a couple of feet closer to the teen Umbrum. "I'm fine with it. I've never really wanted to be a leader per se, but if I'm just sort of helping then..." He trailed off as he thought back to his home. "I'd have to check in with Nana before I pledged my loyalty to the Empire, but I like this!"

"It does sound like a well-made plan. As long as you both can keep your home here, I'm sure none of the citizens will have any issue! Oh, this is so exciting! I get to rule with the Lost Princess!" The pink mare leapt forward and brought the Zebra and Umbrum into a hug, which all three relished in.

"Wonderful! We can head back home as soon as we settle in with the rules and living arrangements. Grenadine and Mirror Glaze, you two can stay here when I leave with Snow to pack and check with his Nana. Of course, she'll want to see her boy off!" Goldie happily rambled off the plan to move in and commence the soon-to-be-formed oligarchy of teenagers.

* * *

After a few hours of introducing Grenadine and Snow to the locals and their rooms, the trio was finally ready to separate and finalize their ruling of the Empire. Mirror and Grenadine walked the yellow Unicorn and the light blue Zebra to the train station, wishing them off as they left to collect their things and say their goodbyes to family.

After the train took off, Mirror flicked her head toward the town, and the pair was on their way back to the palace. As they were walking, Grenadine tossed an idea around in her head before finally deciding on saying it out loud.

"Hey, Mirror?" The peach Umbrum started. There was a hum from the Alicorn and Grenadine kept going. "When the three of us start to deal with being the leaders of the Crystal Empire, would you want to possibly be a couple? Or whatever a three-person couple is?" Mirror stopped walking and looked Grenadine directly in her green eyes. The cold blue was soul-piercing.

"Really?" She almost breathed. Grenadine was confused; was this a good or bad response?

"Um, yeah. I know Snow's been interested in you while we were here, and I definitely know that I would be fine with it. Would you?"

Mirror smiled widely, flapping her wings and flying for a moment before landing and hugging Grenadine. "Of course! You two are so cute, how could I not want to be with you both?"

The two girls laughed for a few minutes before continuing on their path to the Empire. As they neared, however, there was a sound of shouting coming from the town square. Grenadine stayed wary, her magic faintly appearing on her horn as the two royals continued walking closer. Finally, a voice was able to be heard.

"What do you mean I can't audition anymore?" A woman's voice screamed. Grenadine couldn't make out her face, but she seemed to be a pink Unicorn with a magenta mane. She was yelling at the audition pony from earlier. The Umbrum finally decided to make note of what the stallion looked like since it seemed she would keep seeing him everywhere. He was a lilac Unicorn with an indigo mane. It was wavy and short. The mare yelling at him was unrelenting.

"Ma'am, I'm not sure what you want to hear. The spot has finally been filled. She performed the right spell, her horn was _real_, and now there's no need to host these anymore. If you wouldn't mind, I was just about to head back to Ponyville and greet my husband, so if you'd just move-"

"No! I will not accept that!" The upset Unicorn continued loudly. Mirror looked at Grenadine, concerned. Would she try to intervene? "I demand a reshow!"

The stallion sighed loudly. "Ma'am, I already told you the spot has been filled, if you'd like to meet the _actual _princess, I could try setting up a meet- she's right there!" The stallion caught sight of the two girls staring at the scene and pointed. "Now if you'd kindly let me get home to my partner-"

"_You_," The mare growled. She stomped over to Grenadine and Mirror, stopping nearly nose to nose with the peach Umbrum. "You ruined all my chances of ever ruling this Celesitaforsaken empire. Do you know how many times I auditioned?"

"And if I remember correctly," Mirror chipped in, her mane swooshing in front of one eye. "I had to turn you down, time after time because you were _not _the Lost Princess," She took a couple of steps to put distance between herself and the green-eyed mare with her.

"Oh, please," The Unicorn rolled her eyes loudly. "I could do anything this brat could. You're children, for Celestia's sake! Anyone could rule better than you!"

"Listen, I really don't think you'd want to be in my shoes. I had to go through a lot of trial and error to finally deal with the powers of Sombra, or whatever," Grenadine shuffled on her feet, avoiding the glare that she could feel coming from the Unicorn.

"Oh, please," The mare scoffed. "If all you needed was some practice to get where you are, then I guess rock bottom is where I should start, hm?" Magic began to form around her horn- a deep, jade green. Grenadine would have thought it was alluring if it wasn't being aimed at her at the moment. Wait- it was aimed at her?

In just a couple of seconds, the magic was blasted at Grenadine. She ducked and braced for impact, but nothing ever hit her. She opened her eyes (when had she closed them?) and looked back up at the magenta Unicorn. She was smirking and looking at the crowd that had gathered around her.

"Now that you've revealed how you stole my life from me, let's see how you deal with nothing but amateurism up your sleeve?"

"Guards!" Mirror called, summoning a shield in front of herself and her- girlfriend? They'd deal with that later. Crystal guards took the Unicorn away while the Empresses regained their composure.


	14. Chapter 14

Golden Rays and Snow Spellcaster returned not long after the Unicorn had been imprisoned. Although, it was less imprisonment and more so a temporary house arrest with guards outside.

Grenadine and Mirror were recovering inside of the palace when the yellow Unicorn and light blue Zebra arrived with bags of belongings and... Nana. Her white and black striped coat stood out among the colourful coats of the Crystal Ponies. Her eyes were squinted slightly, looking as though they glared at everyone who passed by her.

Grenadine winced at the memory of the elder Zebra scolding her for using her Dark Crystal Magic, but she was fine, now. No need to worry, Nana, Grenadine thought to herself. She broke out of her internal monologue and finally looked up at the doors of the palace, where Goldie, Snow, and Nana were entering.

"Grenadine!" Snow called from the entrance. He jogged over to the Umbrum and hugged her, face slightly red when he pulled back. "Oh, sorry. I don't know if that was unnecessary."

Golden Rays laughed from behind the trio of teenagers, the front of her mane glowing a slight orange tint from where her horn was covered while using her magic. "I would doubt giving her a hug would be strange after what we talked about on the ride over to Ponyville..." The mare trailed off, smirking at the boy's crimson blush.

"I told you that _in confidence_," Snow seethed. He turned around to see both Grenadine and Mirror sharing a devious look at smiling. "What? Am I not in on a joke? Oh, no, are you laughing at me?" He deflated slightly.

"No, no," Mirror chuckled, raising a hoof to her mouth to stifle her laugh. "Actually, we were thinking about Grenadine's plan from earlier!"

Grenadine's eyes widened and she took a couple of steps back. "Oh, uh, yeah," She stuttered. "I thought that- when I supposedly take over- that the three of us rule together! And I know that sometimes rulers are both married or whatever, so..."

Snow's face reddened and his face split into a grin. Behind him, Goldie chuckled at his response.

"Yes!" He said, a little too excitedly. "Yeah, that sounds like it would be nice," The Zebra repeated, softer.

The three teens were a mess of red faces and awkward smiles, but it seemed they had worked out a plan for their future relationship.

While they were all happy thinking about the current situation, the guards seemed to think now was the perfect time to release the Unicorn from earlier for a minute.

"Oh, how sweet," She crooned mockingly. "The princess thinks love is her answer. Sucks to be you, hm?"

Grenadine scowled and glared at the mare, stomping a hoof in protest to her cruel words. "Shut up, you no good imposter!" She shouted, her dark hair falling in front of her eyes.

"Oh, please. If I left you alone there would be no catalyst for the reaction! I need my spell to work much sooner than you would like. Mind showing it off?" The magenta mare took a few steps forward, her head lowered. How had guards not followed her out? How did she get out in the first place?

In favour of thinking about either of those answers, Grenadine simply exhaled harshly through her nose and tried calming down. Her horn had other plans. There was a flash of green and suddenly it seemed as though Grenadine was no longer in control of her emotions. Her heart was racing, her eyes glowing, her magic forming at the top of her head.

"No, wait-" The Umbrum did her best to keep her magic under her control, but failed. Before she could utter another word, magic was blasted toward the magenta mare, trapping her feet in a cluster of large, black crystals sprouting from the ground.

Gasps were heard from bystanders (why they didn't help initially, Grenadine didn't know) as they looked on in shock and fear. The Umbrum that had been named leader using Dark Crystal Magic on one of her subjects?

"She's like King Sombra!" Someone screamed. People scattered, voices clashing in the cluster of panic. Grenadine was still trying to get ahold of her emotions and magic that she only barely caught sight of the smirk coming from the Unicorn trapped in the crystals.

"I didn't mean to!" The peach mare yelled. She guiltily looked at her cutie mark- that dastardly moon with the spirit swirling on top of it. Given to her after she nearly killed someone with her Dark Crystal Magic. What a time to be alive.

"Grenadine," Snow called out from behind the mare. "Grenadine!" He called louder when she didn't hear him. The Zebra paced in place for a moment before grabbing a couple of potion bottles out of a saddlebag and tossing them toward the chaos. Thankfully he had prepared a few concoctions just for situations like these.

In a burst of smoke and sparkles, the crystals shattered into nothing more than dust but the damage was done. Grenadine had caused mass panic across the Empire in less than a day after arriving and claiming her rightful place as Empress. Her horn stopped glowing and tears formed in her eyes as she watched people hiding in their homes, getting as far away from their leader as they could before things got out of hand.

"Sweetheart..." Goldie muttered. _Right_, Grenadine thought. _They were back. Mom watched me use Dark Magic. After I promised her I wouldn't. _The mare sank to the ground under the eyes of her mother and both of her friends.

"See what I mean?" Came the unnerving voice of the magenta Unicorn. "You destroyed my purpose. I'm going to destroy yours. This was going to be the last year I'd ever have to audition!" Mirror stepped in front of the tearful Umbrum in a protective stance, while Snow stood next to her holding more potions at the ready.

"Your purpose? You're a Unicorn! In a Crystal Empire!" Golden Rays nearly screamed. Her daughter was being attacked for no reason and there was no way she'd let the harasser get away with it. "You have so much potential! You could be a famed wizard if you just stayed out of her business! She's a _child_."

"She said she started at rock bottom," The mare gritted out. "I think it's only fair she proves herself by reaching the top once more. _Without_ her little friends from her hometown," Finally the Crystal Guards had come to round the mare up and take her back to her home, chaining the door with four guards outside the doors at all times.

"I'm a monster again," Grenadine breathed.

The deafening silence was the response as tears streamed down the young mare's face, staining her cheeks with shame. She had hurt someone. She had scared _everyone_. She was done for.


	15. Chapter 15

It was only hours after arriving in the Crystal Empire, and Grenadine had managed to ruin her entire future.

The young mare had been able to fall asleep in Mirror's room, surrounded by fluffy blankets, stuffed animals, and her close friends. Goldie had sighed and explained to Mirror about the incidents in her past years of schooling. The young Alicorn and Snow had shared a glance between themselves, continuing to stay in Mirror's bedroom as Goldie said goodnight.

"Do you think she'll be okay when she wakes up?" Snow asked the pink mare, nudging her lightly.

"I hope. I haven't known her as long as you, and even then I don't think you've known her long, either."

It wasn't meant to be rude. It was simply a stated fact that the Zebra colt couldn't disagree with. The two sat in silence, contemplating how the following days would be dealt with. Would the citizens continue to be scared? Would Grenadine be shunned? Would Mirror have to retake her place as Empress?

The pair were shaken from their thoughts as they heard Grenadine murmur in her sleep, her face scrunched up in uncomfort. Hopefully, she was just dreaming.

* * *

Grenadine cried out in her mind, hoping someone would hear her.

"Help!" Her voice barely made a noise in her own ears. "Please! Help!"

She felt hopeless as if there was a weight of doubt dragging her to the bottom of an ocean. She struggled in her own brain, running around through darkness. Her own thoughts had blurred the lines of reality and dreams, so there was no telling whether she was still in the Crystal Empire or fast asleep in her room.

As the mare started losing hope, she heard steps behind her in the darkness that was her headspace. She illuminated her horn into the green magic and snapped her head around, her dark hair whipping her in the face as she did so. "Who's there?" Grenadine called out.

A deep chuckle was the only response she got. Silence, and then a voice.

_"Isn't it obvious?" _The voice asked, emerging to show off its' shadowy figure, flowing dark mane and tail, and glowing green eyes. _"I'm you, Grenadine. I'm what causes all the dark magic that you try so desperately to hide from the world,"_

Grenadine stepped back, clearly seeing now that the figure was a darker silhouette of herself. From the bent horn to the body shape, this was obviously her own shadow.

"No," She took a step back into the darkness. The shadow continued approaching. "This isn't real. I'm having a nightmare. I'm having a lucid nightmare and I'll- and I'll wake up, uh, soon," Grenadine stuttered.

The silhouette chuckled. _"Oh, really? If this is simply a nightmare, why not wake yourself up right now?"_

"What?"

_"You said it yourself. You'll wake up any minute now. If this is simply a lucid nightmare, you'd be able to control that to some extent. But you can't, can you? Just like you can't control the Dark Crystal Magic you oh, so wish would disappear."_

Grenadine had stopped moving. Surely this wasn't true. This was a dream. A terrible, horrible dream and she'd be able to wake up and see that everything was fine. Her magic would return to the normal state she had trained it to be. Snow and Mirror would hold her and tell her everything is okay. Surely.

"_No, Grenadine, I don't think so," _The shadow continued creeping forward, the glowing eyes casting a sickly green light onto the peach mare. "_I told you that I was you. I can hear your thoughts. We are one and the same and nothing will change that. You can't change that._"

"No, no you're wrong. I can change it. I can fix it. I went against what people thought would happen in primary school and I'll do it again!" Grenadine was still petrified, but at least her voice was working.

_"Oh, but can you?_" The shadow tilted its head. Grenadine squinted her eyes in confusion at the question. They were going in circles but this time it felt significantly different in the argument. "_I've seen what you can do. That jealous Unicorn let me go. I'm part of you, Grenadine. You won't be able to get rid of me. Subdue me, sure, but you'll never _ever _get rid of me."_

Suddenly, laughter started forming all around the dark space that was Grenadine's own mind. The shadow's jaw seemed to unhinge as the laughter grew louder and louder, echoing around, nearly making the Umbrum's ears bleed.

In a moment of shock, Grenadine's eyes split open, green glowing brighter than it ever had when magic had taken control of her. Mirror and Snow were jerked out of the sleep they had finally fallen into, looking at their friend worriedly.

"Grenadine?" Snow started. "Hey, are you okay? You don't look too good."

The Umbrum got out of the bed slowly, parts of her feeling numb. Her movements felt robotic, almost. Her eyes only kept open due to the pure spite emanating from her figure. She walked out of the room to the nearest balcony, staring into the night sky. A voice in the back of her head dared her to jump off, to submit to the darkness. Voices behind her became frantic, but Grenadine didn't hear anything.

_"Do it," _The shadow whispered in her ear. _"Show your puny little cohorts how powerful you are; show them how they doubted you, how all your bullies deserved the magic you blasted them with!"_

Grenadine suddenly felt lighter. Mirror Glaze gasped loudly, her wings shrinking even closer to her body. Snow's ears were pulled back, his legs carrying him back into the room once more.

If Grenadine hadn't been in such a dazed state, she would have been able to see that she was surrounded by a much larger silhouette of herself. It was a dark red, her body held in the jaws of the darkness. The mane and tail trailed off for a couple of metres before fading out into wisps. The eyes were tilted deviously, glancing at all those watching.

"It's the Empress! She's turned pure evil!" A bystander from below called out.

Grenadine's new figure leapt from the balcony, growing even larger to match the elevation of the palace.

"This is what you all deserve to see!" Grenadine screeched. "I'm greater than you could ever imagine! I'm greater than your worst fears!" Her own voice had been merged with that of the shadow, warping it into a disturbed, deeper grumble as she announced her presence to the Empire.

A deep, dastardly form of laughter erupted from the shadowy villain that was now Grenadine. Golden Rays finally emerged from the palace entrance, running out to find her daughter terrorizing the Empire.

"Grenadine Grim!" She called out. Faces whipped to find the yellow mare with a mess of red hair, her eyes fearful but her stance confident. The Umbrum slowly floated over to the Unicorn mare to hear her better, the mouth warping into a confused scowl, moving Grenadine around to change expressions. "Grenadine, sweetheart, this isn't you. I know you and Snow trained. You can control your magic better than this!"

Silence from the crowd. A tendril began to grow off the side of the silhouette. It grew towards Goldie, tentatively caressing her face before viciously snatching her up.

"No! Grenadine, please, put her down!" Mirror called out. She was held back by Snow, their light coats dulled in the darkness that had formed from the mix of the dark sky and the large shadow.

The head snapped to look at the young Alicorn and Zebra. The pair flinched backwards.

"Oh, I see how it is," Grenadine began, still holding Goldie in her grasp. The Unicorn seemed to be struggling to breathe. "You keep me by your side in order to make sure I stay in check. You want my powers to be limited so I don't overthrow your rule as Empress!"

"Wh- what? No, I didn't-"

"Don't try to deny it! It was all pity! She knows it was all pity! You're simple beings that have no appreciation for the Umbrum species!" Grenadine's voice was barely heard over the warped screaming of the silhouette encapsulating her inside of it. As Grenadine rambled on, Mirror and Snow shared a look and split off.

"Grenadine, please!" The Zebra called out. He had run out of the palace and to the spot Goldie had once stood before being snatched up. Said Unicorn was still struggling in her daughter's angry grasp. "I know you're powerful, believe me! But I also know you don't want this to happen! You didn't want to be like your ancestors! Please, let go of Golden Rays and come back to us all!" His red eyes were pleading as he called out to his friend.

Citizens of the Empire were either still outside watching the drama occur, or sheltering inside their houses with their families. Screams were no longer heard, and Grenadine was too distracted by Snow's outburst to notice the Alicorn flying toward her.

Snow had altered his gaze to watch Mirror fly around the shadow's head, catching Grenadine's attention. As she turned to look at the item that had caught the Zebra's gaze, she was met with a blast of magic to the face.


	16. Chapter 16

Grenadine was blasted from her place in the jaws of the dark shadow surrounding her. Her body was thrown to the ground, quickly followed by Goldie being released. Mirror swooped down to grab them with her magic, slowly placing them both on the ground. Golden Rays held herself up, catching her breath after leaving the deadly grasp of her daughter's conscience.

"Grenadine!" Snow exclaimed, running over to join Mirror in gazing upon their friend's unconscious body.

"She's gone. She blacked out," Mirror said. Goldie trotted over and sighed sadly, her face drooping into a frown. Citizens gathered around their Empress, the Unicorn who started it all grinning deviously from the balcony of her own home.

"Is she going to wake up the same?" Golden Rays asked the pink Alicorn. Her large hair blocking the sight of many.

"I don't know."

* * *

"_They stopped me,"_ The shadow grumbled angrily. _"How could she stop me? She was a puny little princess! I'm akin to a God in this form! _How could she stop me_?" _The silhouette turned to Grenadine in the dark space that was her conscience once more.

The Umbrum was simply standing there, head down. She felt drops of water fall from her eyes as the stared down. "I don't know," She whispered.

"_Speak up, insolent host!_" The silhouette demanded.

"I said, I don't know!" Grenadine lifted her head up, her hair flying around. "I didn't want this. You're not me! I've lost my mind and Mirror just blasted me out of it! Please, leave me alone!" She ducked her head again, crouching slightly in defence.

_"You're weak. She knocked you out because you couldn't keep me in your control just like they said you could. You disappointed her. You're stuck like this, with me taunting you forevermore because you can't accept that you're scared of yourself."_

Grenadine began crying harder. She shook as she collapsed on the ground, scared of what her own self was saying. It was true; her friends expected more of her and she couldn't do it. She was weak.

"... okay. We'll get her... this..."

Grenadine looked up, her vision was blurry from the tears. Was there another voice in here? The Umbrum did her best to hear it better. Would it make another noise? She squeezed her eyes shut and willed her ears to listen.

"Wake... please, sweet... art."

_"What are you doing?"_ The shadow frantically created a fog around Grenadine, trying to block whatever her plan was.

"I can hear someone."

_"Hear someone? Oh, that's rich. You want to be better so bad that you're tricking your own ears to hear your friends act as if they care about you!"_

"Shut up! I can hear them!" The mare angrily glared at her own shadowy reflection. "You're being a pessimistic pest."

_"A pest? You realize you're calling _yourself _a pest by saying that's what I am?_" A creepy chuckle rose from the throat of the silhouette. _"You're not waking up. Even if you do, I'll follow you again. Take further control of your body and mind. Your little girl and boyfriend won't be able to stop me next time."_

"Oh, please... up, Grena... need you."

"There it is again! That was Snow!" Grenadine was standing up, her tears forgotten and her ears perked up higher than ever. "You're a dirty liar. You're just my own self-doubt," The Umbrum declared, looking at the silhouette. It looked back her, thoroughly unimpressed. "If I don't doubt myself, you'll disappear."

_"Oh, I'm so much more than that. I'm your own magic. I said it before! Do you not listen?"_ The shadow said through unimpressed laughter. _"You wake up and I'll still be here. I was here even when you didn't know. I existed the moment you blasted that good-for-nothing princess with those crystals!"_

Grenadine rolled her eyes, trying to hear more words from the conscious world.

_"I was there when King Sombra was the leader of this Empire and now I'm with you. I'll follow whoever gains Dark Crystal Magic for as long as it exists, Grenadine! All you can do is try to control me!"_

_ "_Then that's what I'll do! My family and friends believe in me! They can help me!" Grenadine's horn began to glow, matching the glow of the shadow's eyes. It grinned when it noticed.

_"I'm sure that's what they let you- HEY!"_ A blast of magic was sent directly at the chest of the silhouette, catching it off-guard while it spoke. _"Playing dirty, are you? Fine!" _

A matching blast was sent towards Grenadine, the mare narrowly avoiding it. In seconds the two were blasting each other with forms of magic, each trying to defeat the other for the total power of the mind.

_ "How cute! Do you think you can defeat the representation of your own magic with magic? How naive,_" The shadow taunted, avoiding blast after blast of magic. Voices were still heard from above. They both ignored them in favour of blasting each other.

"I know my magic better than anyone!" Grenadine shouted through heavy breathing. "I know that I'm not in control of my temper-" Blast. "I know that I can trap people with the crystals I make-" Larger blast. "And that I don't want the people I love to get hurt!" Crystals grew from all angles, trapping the silhouette in a makeshift cage.

_"You're a disgrace to Umbrums. They accepted the Dark Crystal Magic. You're trying to tame it,_" The shadow struggled but to no avail. _"It won't work, you know. You'll fall back into a relapse and come begging me for mercy once I finally take over your mind."_

Grenadine stepped up to her own shadow, looking down on it. Her eyes still glowing, her horn bright with magic. She shook her head as she listened for another voice from above.

"...lease! We need you!"

She smiled bittersweetly as the silhouette tried creeping through the cracks of the crystal prison. "People up there can always help. I won't be alone with your torment, you know." Grenadine shut her eyes and sat down in front of the shadow. "You're just something lurking in the back of my mind. The moment I wake up, I'll make sure I keep you away from my friends."

_ "You can't stop that. I'm your own magic."_

"Then I'll make sure you only exist as magic. You don't get to decide how in control I am of my own mind." Satisfied with her argument, Grenadine charged her magic one last time and blasted the shadow. The darkness changed to a light pink before growing to surround everything around the Umbrum mare.

With a gasp, Grenadine's eyes shot open and she stared up at Mirror Glaze, Snow Spellcaster, and Golden Rays. Her family. They were there for her.

"You're awake!" Goldie cried, wrapping her arms around the mare to the best of her ability. Tears streaked her face as she relished in the awakening of her only child.

There was a small ache in the back of Grenadine's head but she ignored it. She pushed the feeling to the back of her mind, focusing instead on the people in front of her. "Yeah," Was all she could manage.

"I thought I killed you, you idiot!" Mirror shouted, eyes frantically jumping around Grenadine's figure, making sure this was her real, safe, perfectly okay friend.

"Ha, you wish!" Grenadine slowly got up, taking in the scenery around her. People who had been cowering in their houses had peeked their heads out their windows. Doors were open. A few kids were in the streets again. The Umbrum inhaled, closed her eyes, and exhaled deeply. "I want to make an announcement," She started. Heads turned her way if they weren't already. "I do plan to take over as the rightful ruler of the Crystal Empire. However, I don't see how that would be fair when Mirror Glaze was such a good Princess in the first place! That's why I'm planning to rule right by her side.

"Mirror will be your Princess, I will be your Empress," Grenadine looked to her right and jerked her head forward to gesture Snow to walk closer to her. His red eyes widened when he realized what the Umbrum was getting at. "And Snow, the wonderful Zebra right here, will be our royal adviser, as he does not possess royal blood. I hope you all can accept my terms as the leader of your Empire."

It was quiet for a moment. Not silent, just uncomfortably quiet. "How do we know you won't become a shadow demon again?" Someone called out. It was a young Pegasus colt. What seemed to be his parents were nervously standing behind him.

Grenadine sighed and decided to answer as truthfully as she could. "You don't," A couple of gasps sounded. "The only reason it happened this time was that a certain Unicorn decided to curse me. That will _not _happen again. I can assure you that." The gasps stopped existing and murmurs overtook them. "I do have a temper but I can keep that in check. As long as no one attacks the progress I've put into controlling my ancestral magic, I won't lash out again. If I do, I give you all the right to kick me out of the Empire for good."

Mirror gaped at Grenadine, obviously upset about her decision. Her wings were ruffled, the pink-to-magenta fade on her feathers was murky in the puff of the appendages. "You can't be serious," She breathed. Grenadine shrugged in response. "No. No, you will not be exiled if you have an issue with your magic again. I won't allow it." Confusion was coming from the Umbrum. This was her decision, right? Her Empire now? "It's in the rules of monarchy that the spouse of the leader of a kingdom can not be exiled. This being the case, I suggest we be married. Immediately."

"What?" Snow nearly yelled. The light blue Zebra walked up to the Princess and did his best to reason with her. "You're, like, sixteen! You can't get married," He said. The Alicorn laughed softly.

"Does that mean you'd refuse my proposal if I said the three of us all be married?" Snow was silent as Mirror explained her plan. "I thought I was being clear throughout the experience of you all being here that I was interested in both of you?" Mirror brought her wings around both Grenadine and Snow in a makeshift hug.

"Really?" Grenadine asked, green eyes wide.

"Of course! There are no laws against it. We can rule happily as a trio while avoiding any exile that you seem to crave." They laughed.

Goldie finally made her presence known again, walking up behind the three teens and smiling happily. "I'm hoping this means I'll be the best mare at the wedding?" She chuckled.

"What about the Unicorn who cursed you in the first place?" The young Pegasus called out again. "What are you going to do with her?"

"She will be under house arrest until we can speak with the leaders of Ponyville, where we will banish her to. If she does not obey the banishment, she will be imprisoned," Mirror announced. The Pegasus was satisfied, nodding and returning to his family.

The trio continued to answer questions from the crowd, accepting condolences, reassuring them that Grenadine would not revert to the shadowy figure she had been only an hour ago. Mirror Glaze, Snow Spellcaster, and Grenadine Grim would soon go down in history as the first married set of three rulers to serve the ponies of the Crystal Empire.

Grenadine was, in fact, able to tame her own magic, utilizing the silhouette of herself to carry larger items with her magic, performing puppet shows for the citizens, and forming crystal statues after a long amount of training with a descendant from the infamous Sunburst.

Snow spoke to his Nana once more. He told her about Grenadine and Mirror and how her visions had been wrong. Nana assured him that she was never wrong. She simply couldn't see the entire picture.

Mirror happily prepared the wedding with the help of Golden Rays. A wedding planner from Ponyville was brought out to the Empire, providing two suits and a dress for the wedding. It was scheduled for the thirtieth of the next month.


	17. Epilogue

"What in Equestria is this?" Sunbeam loudly asked. The white Unicorn was holding a letter with her bright blue magic, her long hair drooping toward the ground in her tall throne.

"What's what?" Sombre responded. The grey Unicorn approached her cousin, taking a look at the letter she was currently glaring at. It was a message from the Crystal Empire talking about negotiating the banishment of one of their citizens. "Aww, how cute!" Sombre teased, her curly blue mane bouncing with her words. "Seems like Princess Mirror Shard can't keep her own kingdom under control!"

The Unicorns laughed, not hearing the steps of one of their guards enter the throne room.

"Excuse me, your Majesties?" He began, bowing slightly in a greeting.

"What?" Sunbeam demanded. Her gaze went from entertained to serious in a flash.

"As I assume you have read the letter, the leaders from the Crystal Empire have arrived to talk about the terms regarding their newly exiled subject," The guard opened the doors to the throne room before either Princess could argue.

Sombre's jaw was nearly on the floor when she saw who was leading the Alicorn and Zebra behind her.

A peach coat. Dark red, straight mane and tail. A bent horn with red at the tip. Green eyes. This was _not _the Princess that Sombre and Sunbeam were introduced to when they first began their rule.

"YOU!" The grey Unicorn flew to her feet, glaring murderously at the Umbrum mare.

"Hello, Sombre, Sunbeam. It's been a while since I've seen you both," Grenadine smirked. She stopped in front of the Princesses of Equestria, stance confident. "I'm assuming you know why I'm here."

A Crystal Guard escorted a pink Unicorn into the throne room. She was guarded at all angles and kept a safe distance away from Grenadine. Her mane was a mess, her eyes devilishly squinted as the glared at every pony of authority in the room.

"She cursed out Empress, causing her to nearly destroy the lives of herself and her mother," Mirror Glaze announced. She had taken a couple of steps forward to match the stance of Grenadine. "We were hoping we could place her in Ponyville. If she does not behave, you reserve the right to imprison her."

Sombre and Sunbeam shared a look. As Princesses of the Night and Day, all they had been responsible for were ceremonies, raising the Moon and Sun, and the occasional legal issue. Sunbeam shrugged and Sombre sighed. She shuffled in her seat before giving an answer to the three royals in front of her.

"Fine. Yes, you can keep her in Ponyville," The Zebra finally made some noise, smiling at the Princess and... Empress? Who uses two titles? In front of him. He said something too quiet for Sombre to hear, no matter how much she tilted her ears forward. "There should be an empty house right where..." The Princess of the Night smirked deviously. "Right where Golden Rays used to live! You used to live there as well, correct?" Sunbeam suppressed a laugh.

"I did," Grenadine replied with a straight face. Mirror and the blue Zebra looked at her, confused as to where she was going. "But now I live in the Crystal Empire in the palace with my soon-to-be wife and husband," Mirror's eyes were bursting out of her head as she tried holding in the largest of laughs. Grenadine kept talking. "The housing should suffice. We'll show the subject to her new home. Thank you for cooperating with us, _Princesses_."

As Grenadine, Mirror, and the blue Zebra left the castle, Sombre couldn't help but stare, confused. The Umbrum from her past, who had gotten in trouble with her magic time after time, was now ruling the Crystal Empire with not one, but _two _partners. Another guard entered the throne room, jolting Sombre from her confused daze back to her royal duties.


End file.
